- Web3 game Infected is blaming Ethereum scaling layer Base for a failed launch
- The game now wants to abandon Base for Solana
- Base has refuted the claims, saying that the network “hummed along, just as it should”
Web3 game Infected claims that the Ethereum layer 2 network Base could not handle an influx of users during the game’s launch. Infected stated that Base experienced transaction congestion, contributing to a spike in gas fees, forcing users to abandon the game. Base discredited these claims, saying that the network “hummed along, just as it should,” and added that the difficult launch was due to the game’s frontend issues and an inexperienced team.
Base “Couldn’t Handle the Volume”
In an X post, the game said the scaling layer “couldn’t handle the volume of tx [transactions] coming in at once.” The consequent rise in gas fees locked most people out of the game for the first half hour. Being a momentum-driven game, Infected said the glitch “completely destroyed [its] hype.”
We crashed Base and now we’re moving to Solana
After building solely on Eth for the past 4 years, we’ve decided to migrate @Infecteddotfun and all of our upcoming games to Solana. There is only one reason that led us to this decision:
Base couldn’t handle @Infecteddotfun‘s…
— Infected (@infecteddotfun) April 3, 2025
Infected, however, noted that Base isn’t entirely to blame because the scaling issue is prevalent across “all EVM [Ethereum Virtual Machine] chains.” The game revealed it’s migrating to Solana due to the blockchain’s culture and user base.
Refuting Infected’s claims, Base’s architect Jesse Pollak said “Base did not crash,” adding that the game had “frontend issues.” He also noted that the scaling layer has millions of users and revealed that Base had “actively supported Infected to grow.”
I respect and support folks to build anywhere they want to, but we reached out to the team directly immediately after this post and since they haven’t responded, I just wanted to set the record straight on the facts here:
1. Base did not crash — the chain hummed along, just as… pic.twitter.com/5lMEqqvWeS
— jesse.base.eth (@jessepollak) April 3, 2025
Infected Knew There Were Frontend Issues?
Pollak shared a screenshot of a message sent by the Infected team acknowledging that the game ran into “some unexpected frontend issues.” A Base developer, Saedeh, attributed the failed Infected launch to the game team’s inexperience.
Honestly, the way you guys launched and communicated shows how inexperienced your team is.
There were many red flags and signs of low experience, including:
1. Launching 30 tokens at once
2. Posting that the market cap would hit “$1B” before launch
3. Contracts without any…
— saedeh.base.eth (@Saedeh57) April 3, 2025
According to Saedeh, the team demonstrated their lack of experience by “launching 30 tokens at once, posting that the market cap would hit $1 billion before launch” and using smart contracts “without any anti-bot [measures] or limits.”
With the two teams blaming each other for the failed launch, it’s to be seen whether it’ll have a smooth launch on Solana.
